Nacktschnecken omlet Cube

[Egluntyne]

you can criticise my over-use of ...............................s

 

I would never criticise the use of....................s.................................I'm inclined to use them myself.........................from time to time.

[Angels4]

Greetings and salutations fellow forum members. As one of the very few americans on the forum, I am sure many (if not most of my posts) are filled with horrific grammer and spelling errors. I will admit that I posted a message a few pages back, but, chose to delete it. Not because I was offended, but because it didn't read well, it seemed I was making an excuse for laziness.

 

While travelling through Italy I was on a tour. Our tour guide was an Italian women who learned to speak english in England and she spoke very proper/formal english. At one point during the tour she asked if anybody spoke english and one of the particapants raised their hand, she asked where the gentleman was from and he responded "Ohio in the USA." With a roll of her eyes and a sneer on her face she responded "No sir you DON'T speak english, you speak american." I was more than a little offended. Let me explain why.

 

I will try to remember my post in it's entirety, so I may share it with you all.

America is known as the original "melting pot". We welcome people from all different nationalities and dialects ie., Galic, Italian, Spanish, and Asian. Lest we forget the Native Americans who occupied the "New World" upon our arrival with their varied and unique dialects. In order for society to work, language has to evolve so people of all nations can communicate effectively. Sometimes, even within the same country dialects vary North vs. South, East vs. West.

 

That said, I do sometimes feel inadaquate to some of my peers. My english could be better and I do work hard to speak and write properly, especially in my professional life. For forum use I am often typing quickly and miss many simple spelling mistakes, but have started proof reading posts before I hit submit. I like this thread because through all of you I'm learning to speak more better.

[jlo]

Hi Mark, I am pleased that you mentioned that you did post a thread and delete it. As I was reading the first paragraph of the latest post, I was filled with an incredible feeling of deja vue and thought that I was going mad for a while!

[Paola]

Hi Mark, I am pleased that you mentioned that you did post a thread and delete it. As I was reading the first paragraph of the latest post, I was filled with an incredible feeling of deja vue and thought that I was going mad for a while!

 

Ditto

[Angels4]

Hi Mark, I am pleased that you mentioned that you did post a thread and delete it. As I was reading the first paragraph of the latest post, I was filled with an incredible feeling of deja vue and thought that I was going mad for a while!

 

Sorry for that jlo. My post was right after yours originally, but I felt it just didn't read right. Does my post make sense?

[Angels4]

OOoooooooooooops! Sorry everybody.

[jlo]

Yes - I get where you are coming from. (Terrible grammar there too!)

[Paola]

Does my post make sense?

 

Yes

[Looney]

 

Does my post make sense?

 

Yes it does

 

I was a language student and have met many, many foreign students studying English. Many of the people I met that studied at an advanced level took great pride in using English as per the text books, after all this is what they received the highest marks for. They also took great pride in learning which words are English from England and which are American-English and only using the "correct" English version. Unfortunately for some this resulted in an anti-American (language) attitude and the feeling that American-English is a lower form of the language.

 

An American man once had a real go at me as I had been teaching his Mexican girlfriend

the difference between my English and American-English and she had been returning the favour and teaching me differences between Mexican-Spanish and Spanish from Spain. According to him her English had been ruined and he ordered her to stop seeing me!! Her English was perfect by the way!

[..lay a little egg for me]

In actual fact, although some "Americanisms" (i.e., language habits deriving from across the pond) are rather excruciating ("to deplane" being one of my bugbears), a lot of American English is more correct. For example, the use of 'z' spelling in words such as 'hospitalize'. I also think that some of the American pronunciation makes more sense than our UK version. For example, why do we pronounce buffet as 'boufay' but fillet as 'filett'...they don't in the US.

 

So, Mark, who can say who uses 'correct' English?

[..lay a little egg for me]

I... have started proof reading posts before I hit submit.

 

Always a good idea...not only to pick up typos but to make sure one has said what one intends! I always check mine. But that might be because I am an editor and writer by profession and being anally retentive is probably a job requirement!

[Egluntyne]

I try to proof read every time.

 

Sometimes my typing isn't all that it might be and it is very easy to make typos when posting in a hurry.

[Olly]

I can't believe I missed this thread! (Too busy arranging my spices in alphabetical order, obviously).

 

I think it's a fascinating and thought-provoking thread. I am another anal-retentive about grammar and punctuation, however, I do make a distinction between formal documents and letters, and the spoken word and casual correspondence like emails, forum postings and so on. I wouldn't correct my friends' speech, but if they said something unintentionally funny or capable of misinterpretation I might make a joke about it.

 

I work in a large commercial organisation and I am horrified at the quality of business letters and emails sent by some of my colleagues. Some of them left school at 16, but some are graduates who were privately educated; what annoys me is that they don't even bother to use spellcheck. These letters (in my view) make the organisation look unprofessional and since most of our clients are highly-educated professionals, it gives a bad impression. I don't look down on anyone for their use of grammar or spelling, but I do think in these circumstances, they should jolly well take the trouble to check them!

 

Never mind all that - WHERE CAN YOU BUY THOSE T-SHIRTS? I know someone for whom that would be a perfect Christmas present!

[clootie]

Some of them left school at 16, but some are graduates who were privately educated;

 

Olly, it reads like it's understandable that those who left school at 16 can't spell etc. whereas graduates who were privately educated should know better. I'm sure that's not what you meant, is it?

[..lay a little egg for me]

I work in a large commercial organisation and I am horrified at the quality of business letters and emails sent by some of my colleagues. Some of them left school at 16, but some are graduates who were privately educated; what annoys me is that they don't even bother to use spellcheck. These letters (in my view) make the organisation look unprofessional and since most of our clients are highly-educated professionals, it gives a bad impression. I don't look down on anyone for their use of grammar or spelling, but I do think in these circumstances, they should jolly well take the trouble to check them!

 

I couldn't agree more Olly! When my OH started work at his place they had a typing pool. The secretaries were, of course, trained in spelling, how to lay out letters, checking them etc. Then came the advent of the word processor and gradually OH and his colleagues were expected to type out all their own letters. Naturally, with no training on how to do so. Luckily for OH he had me to advise him. The others though did not. Of course, the result was a lot of very unprofessional looking letters. If people are going to be representing their company and writing their own letters, they should really be taught how to write a business letter as well as how to use the spell checker!

[The Dogmother]

Some of them left school at 16, but some are graduates who were privately educated;

 

Olly, it reads like it's understandable that those who left school at 16 can't spell etc. whereas graduates who were privately educated should know better. I'm sure that's not what you meant, is it?

 

I think, perhaps, that what Olly was trying to get across was that her colleagues come from all different educational backgrounds. That's how I read it anyhow.

[clootie]

I'm sure you're right Claret.

[Guest]

Some of them left school at 16, but some are graduates who were privately educated;

 

Olly, it reads like it's understandable that those who left school at 16 can't spell etc. whereas graduates who were privately educated should know better. I'm sure that's not what you meant, is it?

 

I think, perhaps, that what Olly was trying to get across was that her colleagues come from all different educational backgrounds. That's how I read it anyhow.

 

I think if that was what was meant it would have read "Some of them left school at 16, and some are graduates who were privately educated"

 

The "but" is the emotive word here.

 

This topic is all about the use of the English language after all, so I think it's a valid point to raise, about the choice of word. It makes all the difference.

[Olly]

What I meant was that my colleagues have a wide range of educational backgrounds - but it doesn't seem to make any difference as to their ability to spell/use grammar.

 

It's already been suggested, further up this thread, that perhaps some people are disadvantaged by their education (let me say that's not an assumption that I make). The point I was trying to make is that there are people who have had thousands of pounds spent on their education and STILL can't get an apostrophe in the right place!

[..lay a little egg for me]

It's already been suggested, further up this thread, that perhaps some people are disadvantaged by their education (let me say that's not an assumption that I make). The point I was trying to make is that there are people who have had thousands of pounds spent on their education and STILL can't get an apostrophe in the right place!

 

I think that in private schools they also follow the policy of not correcting too many errors so as not to demoralize the child and to encourage creative thought rather than correctness of grammar/spelling. Hence, many children remain ignorant of how to use apostrophes.

[Guest]

As Johnny two Jags pointed out the other night in his surprisingly interesting programme it really doesn't matter if they get a good education in their private schools as they are already hugely advantaged just by being there and take a massive percentage of the top jobs.

 

Of course the "Chav" girl who left school with no GCSE's after having hit a teacher was NOT disadvantaged due to a poor education but due to her own appauling attitude towards school and people around her.

 

But I'll wager her spelling was not worse than that of plenty of people who have had an expensive private education and now have a good job.

 

Good spelling and grammar isn't the be all and end all but it surely can help.

 

Oh did I mention my divorce papers have 3 typos in them. Took a solicitor and his secretary to send them out like that.

[keyhole kate]

quote]Oh did I mention my divorce papers have 3 typos in them. Took a solicitor and his secretary to send them out like that.

 

That does not surprise me in the slightest, when I was communicating by letter with solicitors,barristers and the courts their letters were full of typos and grammatical errors

[..lay a little egg for me]

Well, its up to the likes of us to keep our end up in keeping these people on their toes! I bet they were embarrassed to have the typos pointed out (or should have been).

 

I must say that one of the reasons I like this forum (apart from the lovely people) is that virtually everyone takes the trouble to type out their messages properly and they do not use text-speak, which is so hard to read. The odd typo in such messages is not a problem but when there are typos in text speak it becomes pretty much unreadable.

[Guest]

Well, its up to the likes of us to keep our end up in keeping these people on their toes! I bet they were embarrassed to have the typos pointed out (or should have been).

 

I must say that one of the reasons I like this forum (apart from the lovely people) is that virtually everyone takes the trouble to type out their messages properly and they do not use text-speak, which is so hard to read. The odd typo in such messages is not a problem but when there are typos in text speak it becomes pretty much unreadable.

 

I totally agree. I know my grammar isn't always correct (although I think it's mostly OK). I know my punctuation is often wrong!!! I know that my spelling (altough greatly improved by the red wiggly lines in Word!) is often wrong. But I know that all these things don't matter.

 

I construct proper sentances, split my writing into paragraphs and I use reasonable English to express myself.

 

Txt msg stuff is 4 the cant b bovvered brigade s'ok in a txt cos u r ltd 2 a short no of characters but TBH I find it annoying & hrd 2 rd even then n most of my m8s no tht.

 

OMG you can't believe how hard it was for me to type the above sentance!!!

 

When you are posting message in an unrestricted format it's worth taking the time and effort to type them reasonably. Nothing needs to be perfect and web abbreviations are OK but TBH how much harder is it to type to rather than 2 or are rather than r

 

Old people like me find text message language hard to read and as an educator it's up to me to teach children about always making work fit for purpose and audience. An essay about Shakespear needs to use proper English but a Flyer with a teenage audience COULD use text message language although not exclusively as the old farts like me have to mark it!

 

On this forum it is good that so many people make the effort and mistakes are fine!

[Egluntyne]

 

I construct proper sentances, split my writing into paragraphs and I use reasonable English to express myself.

 

Txt msg stuff is 4 the cant b bovvered brigade s'ok in a txt cos u r ltd 2 a short no of characters but TBH I find it annoying & hrd 2 rd even then n most of my m8s no tht.

 

OMG you can't believe how hard it was for me to type the above sentance!!!

 

And for me to read it. I started a sentence with a conjunction there, but am in a devil may care mood.

 

My eyes glaze over when I see text speak, and I'm afraid I don't bother now to try and decipher it.

 

It would be a shame if an urgent question about a sick hen went unanswered because many of us couldn't unravel the text speak question .